Why Blog?

A lot of people have asked me why I decided to start and blog, how I came about writing and what inspired me and at first I had no real substantial answer because I wasn’t really sure myself but recently it has become more apparent to me just why I made the decision to make my thoughts public…

I have always written a diary from being a teenager and taken it into my adult life. Although the contents has slightly changed from love hearts around a certain persons name and drawing our “wedding picture” (Yes I did that!!!) to my woes and concerns about motherhood. I always enjoyed writing, from stories to poetry to plays. My imagination has never been shy and I have never been one to be short of things to say; you would think that this would make it quite a natural progression for me to start a blog, maybe it was but it wasn’t writing that was ever a problem for me it was letting my guard down and making myself vulnerable that I had an issue with.

I always played with the idea, people tend to tell me I am funny (I don’t try, I literally just say what I am thinking) and it was my good friend Sharon who one day just said do it! She has no idea how her words encouraged me that day so I thought why not? So I went online, researched a little and then “The fat funny one” was born. My initial aim was to be funny, quirky and poke fun at myself and this was the case for my first few blogs then something changed. I wanted to be relatable, to offer people more substance so I started to write from the heart, I stopped trying to be funny and started being me. Everyone can make you laugh from day to day but I wanted something deeper so I slowly started to let my guard down and let people know a little bit more about me. Each blog, each moment and each event I write about is because something has hurt or effected me and I just thought I cant be the only person surely? Maybe if I put it out there someone will understand. It’s strange almost because it was slightly selfish of me to write for my own gain, for my own release but when I started getting feedback I realised it was so much more.

I began receiving messaged and emails, words of encouragement from my loved ones and then strangers! I expected my mum to tell me it was great (even if it wasn’t) and friends to have a read just to see what it was all about but it was the people who I didn’t know that surprised me the most. People email me and tell me how I changed their life! I thought NO WAY, that cant be possible I am just simple Jess. The most shocking and amazing email I received was a German girl who said her family lived abroad and she was too worried to travel with her child alone but after reading “When I wish upon a star” she was encouraged and had booked the flights! I then saw pics of her child meeting his grandparents finally and that was such a huge moment for me to realise my words had encouraged this occasion to happen! I suddenly for the first time in a long while felt like I had a real purpose and I had something to offer. This is what I wanted to do, this was what I felt like I should be doing so I did, and I do.

When someone shares a blog post, comments or emails me about how it effected them it is the fuel in my tank to keep writing, let my guard down that little bit more and to give a little bit more to people reading. It has been only 6 months and I have had over 6.1k in views, I now write for http://www.plusandpregnant.com blogging the “mommy diaries” and have been in touch with some huge Youtube names and approached for a few new exciting projects coming up! I never thought in a million years people would want to listen to what I have to say or would take away what they do from me but I am loving every minute of it and hope it continues because I have so much more to give!

I grew up wanting to be a pop star, a teacher, a police officer, a firewoman, a hairdresser and who knows what else I thought I would want to do! I have worked as a bar girl, promoter, travel agent, sales manager, recruitment consultant and HR advisor! But there is a line in one of my favourite films that always sticks with me and it says “If everyday you wake up and all you can think about it writing, then you are a writer”.

So I am Jess. A mother, a daughter, a friend, a colleague and more recently A writer.